DFA and Sprint choose ag tech startups for 2017 Accelerator program

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Dairy Farmers of America, a national farmer-owned dairy cooperative, and Sprint recently announced the four ag tech startup companies participating in the 2017 Accelerator, an innovative program that helps accelerate and grow startup businesses, which launched the first week of April and continues through June.

"We are very excited for the launch of our restructured program so that the 2017 Corporate Accelerator program can better position our entrepreneurs to meet the needs of our corporate sponsors and, hopefully, develop long-term partnerships," said Kevin McGinnis, vice president of Pinsight Media+ and managing executive of the Sprint Accelerator.

The Corporate Accelerator is a 90-day, immersive program focusing on startups in two verticals — digital and ag tech. Each company will work directly with leaders from Sprint, DFA, Pinsight Media+, Virgin Mobile USA and Dairy One. This year's participants come from cities around the U.S. and are working to develop both hardware- and software-based solutions.

"We're thrilled to partner with Sprint on the 2017 Accelerator program," said Kevin Strathman, senior vice president of finance at DFA. "There is tremendous innovation happening in the agriculture space, and we're looking forward to collaborating with and helping mentor these startup companies."

The 2017 ag tech companies selected in the Corporate Accelerator are:

·AgVoice from Atlanta, Ga.: AgVoice is a mobile, voice-interaction service designed for food and agriculture professionals to capture insights on the go.

·TradeLanes from Miami, Fla.: TradeLanes digitizes and automates the supply chain for shippers, merchants and traders.

As a sponsoring company for the Accelerator, DFA will provide mentorship, connections and resources to help accelerate the growth of the ag tech startups selected. Highlights of the 90-day program include: targeted, strategic meetings with senior DFA team members to discuss business development, pilots and potential sponsorships; mentoring from DFA senior team members and their networks, as well as from the investor, business development and entrepreneurial communities; and business building sessions around product, brand and marketing

"Our goal is to deliver on strategic outcomes shared by both the corporation and the startup," said McGinnis. "Together, we hope to bring innovation to market that will be transformational to agricultural businesses."